Within the tower Craig has revealed the original floor level. His hard-working assistant Andrew is going off to greener pastures to Loughcrew to work as an OPW guide. Emma, a volunteer from DKIT, is also headed for Loughcrew. Lennon took over from Andrew just in time to find an old iron key. In Cutting J the team have uncovered a setting of stones that formed the edge to the eighteenth century cobbled avenue. Laura and Billy’s team are teasing out the arrangement of the walls and kiln flue in Cuttings E and F. Penny sampled a deposit in Cutting K and has found evidence for burnt structural timbers. The small Cuttings located to catch walls continue to go down and down in Cutting O and an entrance in the precinct wall identified in the geophysics has been confirmed. Famous Meath archaeologist Kieran Campbell visited the site today and gave us his expert opinion on recently discovered tile fragments which he thinks are from ridge tiles rather than floor tiles. And so ended the first of a very satisfactory four weeks. Thanks everybody!
Penny prepares to take samples from the wall slot in Tom’s cutting.
Lennon with the key he found in the tower.
A view of the excavation at the end of day 5: Aidan left) and John (photo: Mick Mongey).
John McCullen shared some of his publications with the excavation team. John’s most recent book is A sheltered place: celebrating fifty years of the FBD Group.
Leo gives in and shares his lunch with site mascot Sophie.
This small cutting has confirmed the gap in the precinct wall that had shown up in Jo Leigh’s geophysical survey.
Billy prepares to fly the site drone.
Beaubec Excavations 